According to Street Grace, an Atlanta-based non-profit organization that seeks to end the demand for domestic minor sex trafficking, more than 3,600 children are sold into sex slavery every year in the state of Georgia – enough to fill 72 school buses. To shine a light on this issue, BBDO Atlanta, Porter Novelli and Street Grace wrapped 72 school buses in anti-human trafficking messaging and sent them through Atlanta, creating a mile-long moving billboard. The goal was to change the conversation from “traffic” to “traffick.”
The event, which literally stopped traffic in Atlanta, kicked off with a press conference including the Georgia governor-elect, attorney general, and a child sex trafficking survivor. The massiveness of the spectacle demonstrated that the problem is too big to ignore. Speakers asked citizens to join them in the fight against sex trafficking, take an online pledge at StopTraffick.com and use the hashtag #StopTraffick.
“Every day in Atlanta, people talk about our traffic problem. Today, we urge you to talk about our more serious ‘traffick’ problem,” said Bob Rodgers, president and chief executive officer of Street Grace. “Child sex trafficking is an industry that thrives in darkness. Our goal is to develop a network that will continually shine a light on this issue and put an end to the abuse.”
Every month, about 7,200 men purchase sex with an adolescent woman in Georgia, according to a study by the Schapiro Group. Among men who purchase sex with a young woman, 65% do so in and around suburban metro Atlanta, and 9% do so around the airport.
A video shows the procession of buses, while a Facebook video highlights several child sex trafficking survivors and their pleas to reduce the illegal trade.
The StopTraffick website provides additional resources and information.
: 'StopTraffick '